Café Cat : family

This weekend we went to Woodlands, our 46 hectare rural property at Hereford Hall, 40 minutes out of Braidwood, New South Wales. Sometimes we invite friends or family to join us, but this weekend Matthew wanted to prepare the area around the house for planting a lawn and sow the seeds, so there was no time for socialising.

Browsing through this month’s Delicious magazine before we left, I read a letter from a reader which mentioned a recipe for Sticky Honey Chicken with Ginger and Garlic by Rick Stein. It had apparently appeared in the magazine many moons ago and the reader said it was so good she was still making it regularly. I decided to find it on the internet, print off a copy and make it over the weekend. Here is my slightly adapted version. I cut out the olive oil – the chicken was fatty enough without it – and added fresh coriander as a garnish. I also cut down a bit on the quantities in the glaze and used only chicken thighs, because I’m not mad about drumsticks. The cayenne pepper gives the sauce a nice kick and any leftovers are nice cold.

Rick Stein’s Sticky Honey Chicken with Ginger and Garlic

8-12 chicken pieces – drumsticks, thighs etc, skin left on
juice of one small or ½ large lemon
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
Glaze
1½ Tbs honey
2-3 cm fresh ginger, grated
2 Tbs HP sauce (I substituted BBQ sauce)
1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbs tomato sauce (ketchup)
1 Tbs tomato puree
2 Tbs red wine or cider vinegar
2 Tbs soy sauce
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
fresh coriander to garnish

Preheat oven to 200°C. Trim chicken of any excess fat or skin. Place in a shallow ovenproof dish in one layer. Sprinkle with lemon juice, cayenne pepper and salt. Turn chicken pieces until well coated. Cover and set aside while you mix the glaze.

Make glaze by mixing all ingredients together. Roast chicken for 15 minutes skin side up. Turn chicken pieces over, spoon over half the glaze and roast for another 15 minutes. Turn over so they are skin side up again, spoon over remaining glaze and bake for a further 10-15 minutes or until nicely browned and cooked through. Garnish with coriander. Serve with steamed rice, with a knob of butter added and a steamed green vegetable or green salad.

Serves 4-6

Chicken Parmigiano is a dish I developed many years ago and have made again and again. It’s a great family dish but also perfect for casual entertaining. Everyone loves it. You can make it the day before or in the morning, then refrigerate it till you need to stick it in the oven. I usually make double the sauce and freeze half so next time it’s super quick to make. A large mixed salad, preferably including avocado, is the perfect accompaniment, but if you have teenage sons with hollow legs, then garlic bread goes well. If the chicken breasts are very large you can cut them in two.

4-6 single chicken breasts
About half a cup of plain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
1 egg beaten with 1 Tbs water
dry packaged breadcrumbs
60g butter
3 Tbs oil
250g cheddar cheese, grated
60g Parmesan cheese, grated

Sauce:
1 Tbs oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 sticks celery, finely chopped
1 red capsicum, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
400g can tomatoes, whizzed in processor
1 Tbs finely chopped parsley
1 Tbs finely chopped fresh basil (or 1 tsp dried)
2 tsp sugar
1 Tbs tomato puree
1½ cups water and ½ chicken stock cube

Use a meat mallet to flatten out the chicken breasts a little and remove any fat. If very large you might like to cut into two portions. Toss in seasoned flour, dip in egg mixture then coat in breadcrumbs, patting them on firmly. If you have time refrigerate, covered in one layer for half an hour or up to several hours. Heat oil in large frying pan. Gently cook onion, garlic, celery and pepper, all together, until soft but not coloured. Add tomatoes, sugar, tomato puree, water and herbs. Simmer 30-40 mins until thickened, but not too thick as it will cook more in the oven. Heat oil and butter in another large frying pan and cook chicken on both sides until golden brown. Place in a buttered shallow ovenproof dish in one layer. Cover with the sauce and sprinkle with the two cheeses mixed together. Bake uncovered for 25-30 mins at 180°C or until golden. Serve with a mixed salad.

Serves 4-6